Recording instrument



Septi. 30, 1941.

G. B., GALLASCH RECORDING INSTRUMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fild Nov. 15,. 1959 p 194'?! G. B. GALLASCH 2,257,233

RECORDING INSTRUMENT Filed Nov. 15, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 FIG-5 69 86 a7 76 FIG.6

III

ATTOR YS Patented Sept. 39, 1941 PATENT OFFICE r 2,257,233 RECORDING INSTRUMENT George B. Gallasch koehester, N. Y., aasignor to Banach 8r Lomb Optical Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 13, 1939, Serial No. 303,951

g c. Claims.

The present invention relates to recording devices and more particularly to recording devices for measuring instruments such. as sextants, octants or thelike.

One of the objects of the present'invention is to provide a new and improved recording device which is sim'ple, inexpensive and eflicient and which can be applied to awide variety or instru- I ments. Another object is to rovide a recording device in which the record can be readily removed from the surface on which it is made. A further objectis to provide a recording device in which the recording surface is soft and plastic. Still another object is to provide a measuring instrument in which thequantity measured is indicated on a scale and a record made of the scale position.

The practice of navigation is made more accurate and certain when multiple sextant or octant readings are taken and a further object of this invention is to provide asextant or octant in which a series of readings may be made and recorded.

These and other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts and processes as will hereinafter be more fully set forth and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1.15 a side elevation of an ac ing my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan viewer my recording mecha- Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of my new recording device. v

Fig. 5 is a side elevation recording device. I Fig. 6 is a vertic .cati'on shown in- Fig. 7 is a section taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a. section taken on linel-O of Fig. 6. Accurate navigation depends to a very large extent upon the accuracy with which an /observer can determine his position relative to some celestial body. This determination can be made by taking a single sight .on the body with a sextantor octant but too often errors of sighting.

\reading or the like give false results. .This difficulty is minimized if not altogether eliminated by takinga seriesof sights and using the average or medianre'ading as the true elevation. v

My new recording device, though oi gene applicaticn, ism particular value iorrecord ng a 55 tant embody of a modified form of al medial section of the modifitogether.

(carati) the sextant form no part of this invention except series of sextant or octant readings and hence it is illustrated in connection with suchan instrument. The particular structural features of insofar as they combine with my recording device to form a new navigational instrument or increased accuracy and utility.

A suitable sextant to which my invention may be applied is illustrated in U. S. Patent 2,ii3d,851 issued May 18, 1937 to Henry F. Kurta and myself {or a sextant. This sextant includes the usual body ill, sighting telescope ii, tiltahle index reflector it and observation station it. A suitable handle it is" fixed on the side of the body Hi and .a knurled knob it is rotatably mounted near one end of the handle it. This knob i5 actuates the index reflector it through 1 suitable gearing, not shown, contained a housing l6 secured on the side of the body iii. A

registering or indicating device it, actuated by the knob I5, is visible through a window E8 in the handle H and indicates the angular position of the index reflector l2. This and other suitder screw 20 which is threaded into the side wall of the housing 16 adjacent the knob 85. A

washer 2| holds the disk IQ out 9;: contmt with the wall of the housing it. Gear teeth 82 on the outer edge of the disk i9 engage gear teeth 23 on the knob l 5 so that the disk 69 and knob i5 rotate The disk i9 is formed with an annular groove face of my recording device. Many diierent plastic materials may be used. For example,

modelling clay, soft waxes or the modelling material sold under the trade name Rlasticine may be used.

The marking mechanism of .my recording device is carried by a base or support 26 which is secured to; one side of the housing l6 by screws or bolts 21. A-circular shaft 28 is threaded into the support 26 and. projects outwardly therefrom ridially of the disk is. A carriage 2a, is axially slidable on the shaft 2| and is provided with a non-circular bore III for slidably receiving anonclrcular rod ii. A bracket 32 is rigidly fixed on the outer end of the rod Ii and a depending pin 33, secured to the'bracket -32 by a screw or bolt. 34, engagessnugly, in a guide fixed on the base 23 to hold the carriage 29, rod 3| and bracket 32 against rotation about the shaft 23.

A sheet 33 of stiff transparent material such as glass or a transparent synthetic resin, is secured on the outer end of the bracket 32 by screws 31. This sheet 33 overlies the disk l9 and carries a stylus 33 in alignment with the plastic material 25 in the groove 24. A tension spring 39 is secured at one end to a lug 49 fixed on the carriage 29 and at its other end to a lug 4| fixed on the bracket 32. This spring 39 urges the bracket 32 toward the carriage 29 and urges the stylus 33 toward the plastic material 25.

A wall 42 is rigidly secured to the support 23 and extends upward past the end of the rod 3|. This wall 42 is provided with a transverse groove 43 for slidably receiving the dove-tail bearing 44 of the cam plate 45. The cam plate 45 has a generally flat surface for holding the rod 3| against the tension of the spring 39 and is provided with a cam slot or recess 43 which permits the spring 39 to move the rod 3| and move the stylus'39 into engagement with the plastic 25. The stylus 33 will thus leave a depression in the soft plastic-25.

When using my recording sextant, the operator takes a rapid succession of sights on a single astronomical body. In order to prevent an overlapping or superimposition of two or more of the depressions left in the plastic 25 by the stylus 33, a cam 41 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 28 beneath the carriage 29. This cam 41 has a helical surface 43 upon which rests a follower .49 fixed on the underside of the carriage 29. A ratchet wheel 59 is fastened to the cam 41 and a pawl carried, by the plate 45, actuates the ratchet wheel 59 53, wound around the shaft 29, 52 on the shaft 23 and presses the ward toward the cam 41. s

The support 23 is formed with two upstanding, spaced lugs 54 and a lever or trigger 55 is pivotally secured to these lugs by a hinge pin 53. A spring 51 is wound around the hinge pin 53 between the lugs 54 and tends to push the lever 55 outward away from the carriage 29. A suitable screw or pin 53 connects the lever'or engages a cap carriage downtrigger 55 to the cam plate 45.

In using my new sextant, the operator takes hold of .the handle i4 and operates the index reflector 2 by the knob 5 to get a sight on the astronomical body. When he has the sight, the trigger 55 is pushed toward the carriage 29 until the rod 3| drops into the cam slot 43 under the action of the spring 39. The stylus 33 then enters the plastic 25 leaving a depression. The spring 51 moves the lever 55 back to its original position and during this return movement, the pawl 5| engages the ratchet 53 and moves the ratchet 59 and cam 41 through part of a revolution. The carriage 23 which rests on the cam 41 through the follower 49 is thus raised or lowered and the stylus 33 is moved a step across the groove 24. Thus no twodepressions will ever overlap or be superimposed.

If the observer is using the median technique, he takes a series of sights, twenty-one for example, and uses the middle or median sight as the correct one. The sights will normally be scattered along between two extremes and, if the observer has taken twenty-one sights, he will merely count to the eleventh mark from either extreme and use that as his correct sight.

Two parallel lines 39 are ruled on the surface of the sheet 33 tangent to the sides of the stylus and cam 41. A spring 33 and extending across the groove 24. The observer rotates the knob l5 to bring the middle or' median mark, for example the eleventh, between these two lines 39 and the angular elevation of the astronomical body is read on the registering or indicating device I1.

A bracket 3|, secured to the housing I3 by screws 32, overlies the groove 24 in the disk l3 at some distance from the sheet 33. This bracket 3| carries a wiper 33 which is in alignment with the groove 24 but normally out of contact with the plastic 25.

After readings have been taken, the operator presses the bracket 3| to move the wiper 33 into contact with the plastic 25 and rotates the disk I9. This removes the marks and smoothes the plastic to receive another set of marks. In order to prevent the wiper 33 from gouging the plastic 25 out of the groove 24, a stop screw 35 is threaded through the bracket 3| and engages the wall i3.

The modification shown in Figs. 5 to 9 may be applied to the same type of sextant in the same way as the embodiment just described. In fact, the modification shown in Figs. 5 to 9 differs from the preceding embodiment only in the marking mechanism.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 to 9, the operating mechanism for the stylus 33' is contained in a housing having a bottom wall 33 suitably secured to the housing l3, side walls 31 and 33, a rear wall 39, a front wall 19 and a top 1|. The side wall 31 is provided with a vertical slot 12 in which a carriage 13 is vertically slidable. An end plate 14 projects outwardly from the rear of the carriage 13 and a horizontal bearing sleeve is threaded into an opening in the end plate 14. A shaft 13 extends through the bearing sleeve 15 and through an opening 11 in an end plate 19 which projects outwardly from the front of the carriage 13. A bracket 13 is fixed on the front end of the shaft 13 by a set screw 39 and this bracket 19 projects forwardly through a vertical slot 3| in the front wall 19.

- A transparent plate 32 carrying the stylus 33' and index lines 93 is secured to the bracket 13 by screws 34 and this plate 32 extends over the roove 24 in the disk i9.

A helical spring is wound around the rear end of the shaft 13 between the end plate 14 and a washer 93 which is held in place by a pin 31. This spring tends to slide the shaft 13 toward the rear wall 39 and thus tends to press the stylus 99' into the plastic 25.

The shaft 13 is held against movement by the spring 35 by a pin 33 which extends transversely through the shaft 13 and rests against the flat face of a cam 99. This cam 39 is rotatably mounted on the bearing sleeve 15 and has two radial grooves 99 into which the ends of the pin 33 may drop permitting the shaft 13 to slide under the operation of the spring 35. An operating handle 9| is rigidly secured to the cam 33 and projects outwardly through a slot in the side wall 33. This handle 9| is raised to bring the grooves 99 into position to receive the pin 33 and a spring 92 returns the handle 3| to its original position in which a lip 33 on the cam 39 engages a stop 93' fixed on the end plate 13.

A tension'spring 94 fixed at one end to the carriage 13 and at the other to 9. lug 33 on the top 1|, tends to raise the carriage and thus move the stylus 39' across the groove 24 of the disk i9. Thismovement isresisted by a plate'cam 33 which is rotatably mounted on the bearing sleeve 15 and engages a stop 91 fixed to the top by a screw or bolt 98. A ratchet wheel 99 rotatably mounted on the bearing sleeve 15 between the cam 96 and cam 89 is rigidly secured to the cam 96 by screws or bolts I00. A pawl llll carried by the cam 89 engages and moves the ratchet wheel 99 upon each actuation of the'handle 9|.

In operation, the handle 9| is raised and, when the grooves 99 are in line with the pin 88, the shaft 16 moves toward the rear wall under the action of the. spring 85 and an impression is made in the plastic 25 by the stylus 38'. The spring 92 returns the handle 9| to its starting position and on this return stroke, the pawl IOI engages the ratchet 99 and moves the ratchet and cam 96 through a partial revolution. The carriage 13 is thus raised or lowered after each mark is made and the stylus 38' moved transversely of the groove 24 preventing any overlapping or superimposition of marks.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I am able to attain the objects of my invention and provide a new and improved recording sextant in which a multiplicity of readings may be readily and easily made. It is also apparent that my new recording mechanism may be applied to a variety of instruments. Various modifications of structure may, of course, be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a measuring instrument having a part movable to indicate the quantity measured, a recording device comprising a disk movably carried by the instrument, means operatively interconnecting the disk and the movable part whereby movement of the part moves the disk, a sheet of still transparent material movably carried by said instrument for movement toward and from said disk, a marking point carried by said sheet for engaging th disk to mark the disk, and a fiducial line on said sheet in predetermined relation to said marking point for locating marks on said disk.

2. A recording device comprising a supporting body, a disk movably mounted upon said body for movement in accordance with the quantity to be recorded, a layer of soft plastic material on one surface of said disk, a stylus movably means for moving said bracket substantially per-' pendicular to said disk to press the stylusinto the plastic material and means for moving said bracket transversely of said disk across said groove when said stylus is withdrawn from contact with said plastic material.

4. A recording device for recording the movement of a movable part of a measuring instrument wherein said part is moved upon actuation of movable means carried by the instrument, said device comprising a disk rotatably mounted on said instrument and having an annular groove therein, a soft plastic material in said groove,

means for operatively interconnecting said movable means and said disk whereby operation of said movable means rotates said disk, a bracket movably mounted on said instrument and extending over the groove in said disk, a stylus carried by said bracket for indenting said plastic material, control means for efiecting the movement of said brackettoward and from said disk and the stylus into and out of contact with the plastic material, cam actuated means for moving said bracket substantially transversely of said disk across said groove when said bracket is free from contact with said plastic material, and means operatively interconnecting said control means and said cam actuated means whereby movement of said control means to withdraw the stylus from. the plastic material will cause the movement of said cam actuated means.

5. In a measuring instrument having a part movable in accordance with the quantity measured and movable means for actuating said part,

the combination of a recording device comprising a disk rotatably mounted on said instrument and having an annular groove, means for operatively interconnecting said disk and said movable means whereby movement of said movable carried on said body for movement toward and on said body and operably connected to both of the cam means for actuating said cam means, said movable drive means being manually operable in one direction against the action of a Spring member when actuating said first mentioned cam means for allowing the stylus to contact the plastic material and being operably driven by said spring member in a direction reverse to that first mentioned to actuate the first cam means to move the stylus out of contact with the plastic material and also to actuate said second cam means for moving the stylus radially of said disk.

means causes rotation of said disk, a soft plastic material positioned in said groove, a stylus movably mounted on said instrument adjacent said disk, means for moving said stylus into said material to make a depression in said material, and means for moving said stylus transversely of said groove when said stylus is withdrawn from contact with said plastic material.

6. A recording device for use with a measuring instrument, said device comprising a disk rotatably mounted on the instrument for rotation in accordance with the quantity to be recorded, said diskhaving an annular groove, a soft plastic, material positioned in said groove, a stylus mm ably mounted on said instrument adjacent said disk, means for moving the stylus into said material to make a depression therein, means for moving said stylus transversely of said groove when thestylus is out of contact with said plastic Ina terial and means carried by said instrument for indicating when a given depression is in alignment with said stylus.

GEORGE B. GALLASCH. 

